Tourism funding request trimmed
Gov. calls for $1.5M, not $3.5M, increase
The New Mexico True message may still get a little more play next year — just not quite as much as tourism officials had once hoped.
The New Mexico Tourism Department had planned to seek an additional $3.5 million for marketing next fiscal year — money that would extend the New Mexico True advertising campaign to San Francisco — but budget realities have tempered expectations. Rebecca Latham, recently appointed to head the tourism department, said the request laid out in Gov. Susana Martinez’s budget is for an additional $1.5 million instead.
The extra $1.5 million, if approved by the Legislature, would boost the department’s overall marketing budget to $10.1 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Latham said it would allow the state to bolster existing efforts in the Dallas and Houston media markets, but would not cover expansion into San Francisco.
“This is just a consequence of decreased revenue from oil and gas,” Latham told the Journal in an interview. “It’s still a really strong recommendation.”
The state currently targets just a handful of major markets with its tourism ads — Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Chicago, San Diego and New York. Those “f ly” markets and other national campaigns represent about 44 percent of the department’s advertising spending, though the department also runs ads in regional “drive” markets and within New Mexico.
Jen Schroer, executive director and CEO of the New Mexico Hospitality Association, said the association urged its approximately 500 members to support the extra funding request by reaching out to their respective legislators directly and via social-media comments.
Lower gas prices make it an ideal time to really push travel to New Mexico — especially in markets like Dallas or Houston, from which travelers might be willing to drive.
“With gas dropping, we’re seeing more people willing to travel, and excited to travel, because they can afford it and they have more disposable income,” Schroer said.